New York City is home to some of the strongest workplace protections in the country for expecting and current mothers and caregivers.

The New York City Commission on Human Rights, which enforces these protections under the city’s Human Rights Law, has worked to make those protections even stronger through legal guidance defining workplace violations and providing clear examples of how and when employers should make accommodations for pregnant employees.

Victims of pregnancy discrimination can and should file complaints with the commission, which has increased investigations in this area by more than 34 percent in the last two years to get justice for victims and hold violators accountable.

Last month, the commission required Whole Foods to pay more than $65,000 in fines and damages, update its policies and attend a training on its obligations under the law after it failed to grant a pregnant employee an accommodation and later fired her.

We must do more to protect working mothers from being penalized for starting a family or for caring for the ones they love.

CARMELYN P. MALALIS, NEW YORK

The writer is the commissioner and chairwoman of the New York City Commission on Human Rights.

To the Editor:

Anti-mom prejudice should certainly inspire more outrage!

At A Better Balance, we see firsthand how it derails careers, saps household income and pushes families into poverty.

Every day, pregnant women and mothers, especially those with the fewest resources, experience blatant discrimination at work and are forced to choose between caring for their children and earning a paycheck.

While rooting out discrimination is absolutely essential, the path to a level playing field for moms is far more complex: It requires collective outrage and action about the lack of supportive work-family policies in America, like paid family leave, paid sick time, predictable and flexible scheduling, and quality, affordable child care.

Without these policy supports, too many moms will never achieve their potential in the workplace and earn the fair and equal wages they deserve.

DINA BAKST, NEW YORK

The writer is a co-founder and co-president of A Better Balance, a nonprofit legal advocacy group.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page A18 of the New York edition with the headline: Fighting Bias Against Mothers in the Workplace. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe